{"id":29969,"date":"2025-01-16T01:07:41","date_gmt":"2025-01-16T01:07:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/air-compressor\/what-is-a-piston-compressor\/"},"modified":"2025-01-16T01:07:41","modified_gmt":"2025-01-16T01:07:41","slug":"what-is-a-piston-compressor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=29969","title":{"rendered":"What is a Piston Compressor?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Piston compressors, also known as reciprocating compressors, are probably the first thing that comes to mind when people think about air compressors. As one of the most common types of air compressors, you will likely come across these in many different industries.<\/p>\n<p>Classifying as a displacement compressor, piston compressors are available in single- or double-acting, oil-lubricated or oil-free variations, with different numbers of cylinders in different configurations. Smaller compressors have vertical cylinders, also known as the V-configuration. Double-acting, large compressors use the L-configuration where vertical low pressure cylinder and horizontal high pressure cylinders.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s take a closer look at how piston compressors work, what they are used for and why they are used.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Does a Piston Compressor Work?<\/h2>\n<p>A piston compressor has a valve system and two valve discs, so when the piston moves down, air is drawn into the cylinder and one of the valve discs folds downward to allow the air to pass. Then, when the piston moves up, one of the valve discs folds upwards and closes. Next, the air is compressed and is passed through the aftercooler, continuing into the air tank.<\/p>\n<p>As mentioned above, piston compressors are available in four different sub types:<\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Single-stage compressor:<\/strong> One or more cylinders which compress the air from atmospheric pressure to operational pressure.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Double-stage compressor:<\/strong> Two or more cylinders which gradually compress air to the required pressure level. Cooled with ambient air between steps, it improves efficiency and achieve higher pressure levels.<\/li>\n<li><strong>High speed (separable) compressor:<\/strong> Operating at a speed between 900 and 1,800rpm, these are driven by engines or motors.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Low speed (integral) compressor:<\/strong> Operating at a speed between 200 and 600rpm, the driver is mounted into the frame of the compressor.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Plus, you can also choose between an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airpowereast.co.uk\/2023\/09\/oil-vs-oil-free-compressor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">oil-lubricated or oil-free<\/a> variation. Oil-lubricated piston compressors use oil to lubricate the cylinders, pistons and cranks; there is the risk of oil contaminating your compressed air. Oil-free piston compressors usually see lubricated bearings and grease-free piston rings, but there is usually extra maintenance with these.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Are Piston Compressors Used For?<\/h2>\n<p>Due to their wide range of variations, piston compressors are used within all kinds of industries. This includes for small, intermittent compressed air requirements such as mechanics, workshops, other small settings in addition to larger, industrial setting such as gas processing, refrigeration technology, chemical industries and oil plants.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Are Piston Compressors So Popular?<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Affordable Air Compressor Option<\/h3>\n<p>Piston compressors are one of the most affordable compressed air systems you can purchase and they are also more economical when it comes to operational capacity. They are easy to control and to operate, so you can always make sure they\u2019re cost- and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airpowereast.co.uk\/2023\/07\/15-energy-saving-tips-for-your-air-compressor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">energy-efficient<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Low Maintenance Requirements<\/h3>\n<p>Piston compressors are also renowned for low maintenance requirements. Standard maintenance processes will still be required, but looking after your piston compressor will results in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airpowereast.co.uk\/2022\/01\/life-cycle-cost-of-your-compressor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">longevity<\/a> and minimal repairs or replacements.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Spare Parts Readily Available<\/h3>\n<p>Due to this system being the most popular air compressor and with many different variations available, this means there are always <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airpowereast.co.uk\/2021\/10\/everything-know-about-spare-compressor-parts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">spare parts<\/a> easily available if you need them and technicians are readily accessible too.<\/p>\n<p>When there are so many options around, it can be difficult know what air compressor is right for you. if you\u2019re wondering whether a piston compressor is the best choice for your operation, speak to our team today who would be more than happy to advise. We also provide other services, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airpowereast.co.uk\/services\/compressed-air-installation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Installation<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airpowereast.co.uk\/services\/compressed-air-servicing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Servicing and Maintenance<\/a>, as well as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airpowereast.co.uk\/services\/compressed-air-quality-testing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Quality Testing<\/a> on top of our wide range of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airpowereast.co.uk\/air-compressors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">compressors<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Piston compressors, also known as reciprocating compressors, are probably the first thing that comes to mind when people think about air compressors. As one of the most common types of air compressors, you will likely come across these in many different industries. Classifying as a displacement compressor, piston compressors are available in single- or double-acting, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29970,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11762],"tags":[12584,20251],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-29969","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-air-compressor","tag-compressor","tag-piston"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What is a Piston Compressor? - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=29969\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is a Piston Compressor? - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Piston compressors, also known as reciprocating compressors, are probably the first thing that comes to mind when people think about air compressors. As one of the most common types of air compressors, you will likely come across these in many different industries. Classifying as a displacement compressor, piston compressors are available in single- or double-acting, [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=29969\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-01-16T01:07:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Low-Cost-Piston.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"747\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"509\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=29969#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=29969\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371\"},\"headline\":\"What is a Piston Compressor?\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-01-16T01:07:41+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=29969\"},\"wordCount\":596,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=29969#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Low-Cost-Piston.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Compressor\",\"Piston\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Air Compressor\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=29969#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=29969\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=29969\",\"name\":\"What is a Piston Compressor? - Som2ny Network\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=29969#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=29969#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Low-Cost-Piston.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-01-16T01:07:41+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=29969#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=29969\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=29969#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Low-Cost-Piston.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Low-Cost-Piston.jpg\",\"width\":747,\"height\":509},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=29969#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?bp_activities=1\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What is a Piston Compressor?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/\",\"name\":\"Som2ny Network\",\"description\":\"Daily Deals\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Som2ny Network\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png\",\"width\":300,\"height\":86,\"caption\":\"Som2ny Network\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What is a Piston Compressor? - Som2ny Network","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=29969","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What is a Piston Compressor? - Som2ny Network","og_description":"Piston compressors, also known as reciprocating compressors, are probably the first thing that comes to mind when people think about air compressors. As one of the most common types of air compressors, you will likely come across these in many different industries. Classifying as a displacement compressor, piston compressors are available in single- or double-acting, [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=29969","og_site_name":"Som2ny Network","article_published_time":"2025-01-16T01:07:41+00:00","og_image":[{"width":747,"height":509,"url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Low-Cost-Piston.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=29969#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=29969"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371"},"headline":"What is a Piston Compressor?","datePublished":"2025-01-16T01:07:41+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=29969"},"wordCount":596,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=29969#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Low-Cost-Piston.jpg","keywords":["Compressor","Piston"],"articleSection":["Air Compressor"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=29969#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=29969","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=29969","name":"What is a Piston Compressor? - Som2ny Network","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=29969#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=29969#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Low-Cost-Piston.jpg","datePublished":"2025-01-16T01:07:41+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=29969#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=29969"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=29969#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Low-Cost-Piston.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Low-Cost-Piston.jpg","width":747,"height":509},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=29969#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?bp_activities=1"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What is a Piston Compressor?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/","name":"Som2ny Network","description":"Daily Deals","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization","name":"Som2ny Network","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png","width":300,"height":86,"caption":"Som2ny Network"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/fivemor.com"],"url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29969","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29969"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29969\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/29970"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29969"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29969"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29969"},{"taxonomy":"dealstore","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fdealstore&post=29969"},{"taxonomy":"offerexpiration","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fofferexpiration&post=29969"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}